In his remarks, Rick Perry calls for doubling the size of tea parties. This is from last Friday's tea party, which took place (as you can tell) directly outside the Texas Capitol. Rick Perry's campaign was signing up people -- literally -- just outside of this shot:
Rick Perry's call to double the size of these violent crowds is far more dangerous than anything he may make up about what's going on in Washington today. Perry has no sense of self-respect -- for himself, or for the state of Texas -- when he makes these calls of action.
As a resource for those who may visit or pass along this post, I wanted to re-post something the Texas Democratic Party recently put out -- the "Top Ten Rick Perry Failures." Here they are -- with full resources, links, facts, and talking points on each page that is linked:
Usually when you contribute to losing a race that has been controlled by your party since the civil war, you lay low and avoid words like referendum and change. Pete Sessions hasn't read that memo.
Sessions, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, lost races in both California (not a surprise) and New York (huge surprise) and yet he is spending his day saying last nights election results are a referendum on the popular Democratic President. The big surprise is Sessions, like Tom Craddick in the State House, is so out of touch, he has directly contributed to helping increase the Democratic majority in Congress.
As mentioned today on the Plum Line, "NRCC chair Pete Sessions's statement says the gubernatorial wins prove independents are "dissatisfied" with Dems and will continue "moving away from them at a rapid pace."
The NRCC and Sessions came out strong against the Republican nominee and for the independent/conservative candidate. Yet, they lost.
Do we extrapolate then that Sessions is unpopular and the people of New York and the Republican Party as a whole made a referendum on the leader of the caucus? No. That is ridiculous.
What it does mean is that the Republican Party is still in total disarray and lost traction in local races and lost ground in Washington D.C. where the battle over health care reform, insurance reform, environmental reforms, clean energy reforms, and many many other initiatives are being fought. Clearly the people of California and New York both want Washington to move forward.
This is a signal that Democrats can continue to win tough races in fragmented parts of the country as long as Sessions, Cornyn, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Rick Perry can't agree on what their party stands for and what sort of candidate they should field.
Both sides need to use last nights results and learn. 2010 is going to be tough and Democrats will lose seats in the U.S. Senate and House and in local races if the fail to mobilize and turnout. When Democrats can sweep in federal races but lose gubernatorial races perhaps we should stop throwing out buzz words and start asking why.
Why are Pete Sessions and John Cornyn gloating when their jobs just got harder? Why is this a referendum when VA has swapped parties with the President for nearly four decades? Why aren't we comparing Corizine and Bloomberg instead of comparing Obama to the whole Republican Party of New Jersey?
Let's start asking some questions and stop making blind, sound bite assumptions. Oh, and let's get to work for March and November.
Congress is elected represent their district and represent their ideas and beliefs in Washington. Right now, some elected members think they know what is best for the people in their district with out ever asking them. DailyKos decided it was time to ask what the people in Henry Cuellar's district actually think.
The Research 2000 poll asked a few key questions about health care, Henry Cuellar, President Barack Obama and the 2010 election.Henry Cuellar has gone as far to The Hill he can't support any bill with the public option due to current costs structures.
A quick break down on the top lines of the poll indicate Cuellar's district does not feel the same way as Cuellar. When asked, "Do you favor or oppose creating a government-administered health insurance option that anyone can purchase to compete with private insurance plans?" 53% favor creating government administered health insurance options, 40% oppose the plan and 7% were not sure. The numbers change slightly when asked about a vague plan and attaching Barack Obama's name. When asked, "Generally speaking, do you favor or oppose Barack Obama's health care plan?" 51% of all respondents still favored the plan, with 42% opposed and 7% still unsure.
It's important to point out again, Cuellar is opposed to a public option and stand on the fence of health insurance reform as it is now in the House.
Another interesting question asked to the good people in Congressional District 28 was a question on trust. Republican's have been making the case that they are winning the debate on health care and are earning the average American's trust. Again, the top line results challenge this myth. When asked, "Overall who do you trust more on the issue of health care, the Democrats or the Republicans?" 44% favor Democrats and only 35% favor Republicans. Not quite the hearts and minds the Republican Party would have you imagine.
The poll finally shows that 49% of all respondents do not favor Cuellar's positions on health care and 41% do. Keep this number in mind because 22% of respondents also said they would be less likely to vote for Cuellar if he opposed a public health care option.
There is substantial more to this poll, and I encourage you to look at the whole thing, but with 1 in 4 Texans and 1.5 million children without insurance, maybe it is time for our elected officials to listen to their districts and fight for a public option.
Update: Just finished talking with Congressman Cuellar's office. The congressman stands in support of the public option but his staff has indicated he is not a strong supporter of the current House bill as indicated in the Hill article. A public statement is coming soon and we will get that up as soon as we get it.
Update:As promised, the Cuellar office released this statement to clarify the Congressman's position. Ashley Patterson, Cuellar's press secretary, e-mailed me. This is statement is unedited and is the entire statement.
"Congressman Cuellar is an advocate for health care reform and he has gone on the record supporting the public option. In fact, this August one publication in the 28th district referred to Cuellar as "Defending the Public Option". Another said Congressman Cuellar "maintains" that a vast majority of his uninsured constituents could be covered by the proposed House plan. The Congressman indicated last month that he could not support the bill in its current form, because he wanted to ensure Congress amended H.R. 3200 to ensure the plan's cost-efficiency. President Obama echoed similar cost concerns during his address to Congress earlier this month.
Congressman Cuellar has supported health care since serving in the Texas State Legislature. He coauthored the pilot program for what's now the Children Health Insurance Program in Texas. He hasn't wavered from recognizing the need for reform nor does he plan to in the future. He's asked honest questions about how this plan will affect the nation's deficit, but he hasn't pointed to the public option when asking these questions."
Last night the President said he wanted to work together and bring out the best in both parties.
I applaud the President's noble efforts but, with all due respect, I cannot see how this is possible given that we do not know if there is a best side of the Republican Party. What is meant by "best" I wonder?
"The Urgent Need for Health Care Reform: People Over Profits"
When: Sun., Aug. 23rd, 2:00pm-4:30pm
Where: AFL-CIO Hall, 11th Street and Lavaca (just West of the TX State Capitol), Austin, TX. Lots of free parking available. We'll be inside with Air Conditioning. We'll have complimentary ice water, drinks, and light snacks.
What: Health Care Reform Forum hosted by the Gray Panthers. Expert speakers will include Anne Dunkelberg, Center for Public Policy Priorities; Regina Rogoff, People's Community Clinic; John Troutner, MD, Physicans for a National Health Plan. We'll also have a Q&A at the end.
Cost: FREE. Everyone is welcome! We expect over 150 attendees. Join us!
Best,
David Kobierowski
Gray Panther Board Member
512-249-0716
Mynor Rodriguez sent an e-mail out today updating Juan Garcia's supporters and friends about the confirmation process and is nomination as Assistant secretary of the Navy.
With so many from around the country inquiring,
Juan and Denise asked me to send out a note with an update on his nomination. After his July 30 hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, his nomination was reported out of the Committee favorably.
However, just before he was voted on by the full Senate, and just prior to the congressional summer recess, two Senators put a hold on Defense and Justice nominees due to an unrelated issue involving the Guantanamo detainees (see story link below). We anticipate a full vote when the Senate reconvenes after the Labor Day weekend.
Thanks for your support, and enjoy the final days of summer.
Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts, both Republicans are blocking Juan Garcia's nomination for political reasons.
At the heart of the Republican opposition is what will happen to Guantanamo Bay detainees and their possible relocation to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.
The two senators want a briefing from Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Attorney General Eric Holder. They want to know the feasibility of holding the detainees at Leavenworth and the impact it would have on current operations and community safety.
Administration officials said Fort Leavenworth is under consideration because it already is a hardened high-security facility that could be further protected by the surrounding military base, according to the AP.
The confirmation process was going smoothly because of Garcia's bipartisan support. Both Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Senate leader John Cornyn, both Republicans, said publicly that Garcia he is a great fit for the appointment.
Further proof Cornyn can't lead his own caucus.
Brownback has gone on the record saying, "If we're not going to get any cooperation, we're not going to give any cooperation. We're going to hold these up until we get the answers that we need."
The Party of no continues to stop, block, and prevent legislation and appointments in Washington.
Are you just going to read about it? Are you going to read from the sidelines, stare at your computer screen, and hope it all gets better? Or are you going to take action and try to make the change happen.
Juan Garcia has taken a big step towards being confirmed as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy. He has been confirmed by the Senate Armed Service Committee and waits a vote by the Senate.
Garica served in the Texas House in 2007 and lost a narrow, expensive election in 2008. Garcia was one of the first elected officials to endorse President Barrack Obama in Texas and is a decorated member of the armed services.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie had released this statement today:
We congratulate Juan Garcia on his confirmation as Assistant Secretary of the Navy by the Senate Armed Services Committee. When the United States Senate takes its official floor vote on the nomination, we are confident they will vote to confirm this highly qualified nominee with overwhelming support.
"As a former State Representative for House District 32, Juan Garcia proudly served his constituents. Now Texans across our state can be proud that our fellow Texan, who has also served his country abroad as a U.S. Naval Aviator, will have this opportunity to use his considerable talents to serve all Americans. The Texas Democratic Party proudly supports President Obama's nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Juan Garcia."
Juan Garcia received his "Wings of Gold" from the Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. He has served as a top aide to the deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Navy in Europe and also served in Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia. He has been awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Naval Commendation Medal, and the Naval Achievement Medal.
We are excited to see this confirmation moving forward and congratulate the Garcia family.
Dan Rather, former CBS Evening News Anchor who spent over six decades as a working reporter, calls on President Barack Obama to launch a White House Commission on Public Media.
This was the message during a speech Rather delivered at the Aspen Institute in Aspen, CO on Tues., July 28th.
Quotes from Rather during his speech:
"I personally encourage the president to establish a White House Commission on Public Media".
"A truly free and independent press is the red beating heart of democracy and freedom".
"This is not something just for journalists to be concerned about, and the loss of jobs and the loss of newspapers, and the diminution of the American Press' tradional role of being the watchdog on power".
At state, Rather argued, is the very survival of American Democracy.
Rather presently hosts "Dan Rather Reports" on HDNet a "high-definition" network.
My Take: This is awesome. It's time to inject respect, integrity and truth back to the media industry.
One aspect not totally clear yet is how much the loss of integrity and respect toward the mass media has caused the recent death-spiral media crisis. There's been a gradual new media eclipsing old media for a while, and this is also part of the picture that needs to be accounted. As well as our overall economy in the dumps. In any case, we need and deserve a respected media.
Rather has taken a great step forward in encouraging Obama to form this commission.
